Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Bicycle in Philadelphia - by H.B. Hart - The Wheelman 1883

I then made
application to the Pope Mfg Co. for the agency of their bicycles in
Philadelphia and received it. My first proceeding was to mail out catalogues
and reading-matter to the elite of the city, who at once became interested in
such a novel and wonderful horse. We called it the silent steed then; but now
of course it is a carriage. I soon found that unless the public could be taught
to ride I reached the ears of an alert newspaper man, who published a racy
article about them, which caused a cessation of their practice for a time.

My first
bicycle was sold April 16, 1879. to Mr. Joseph W. Griscom, and he taught
himself to ride. In May I went to Boston for the purpose of learning to ride,
and to get a general idea of the manner in which the business was conducted
there. While I was wrestling with a machine in the Pope M'fg Co.'s school, a
telegram was received by them announcing the organization of the Philadelphia
Bicycle Club, signed Thos. K. Longstreth, President.

This news
encouraged me greatly in my efforts, and I pitched into the bicycle harder than
ever. We had an unhappy faculty of pitching and rolling around with such
uncertainty that the floor was soon cleared of all save my wheel and I, and we
continued vigorously until at last I could ride. I shall not attempt to
describe my emotion when I had conquered this wheel; I was so delighted that I bought
it on the spot. It was a 44-inch; but no matter, that was the wheel I had
wrestled with, gone all the way to Boston and won; I would have none other.

Shortly
after my return to Philadelphia I hired a room in a large warehouse, at 222
Wood street, put in a couple of second-hand machines, gave prospective buyers
each a key, and told them to go down there and learn how to ride. This
practice-room was well patronized, and no doubt its strict privacy was a help
to it; but this did not last.

The seed had
been sown, the plant had sprung up thoroughly healthy, and was growing rapidly.
I put in several more bicycles, and secured the services of a teacher, an
Englishman, who could tell us all about bicycles in the old country. This
teacher was none other than the celebrated Professor Rollinson, now well known
to all wheelmen.

I began to
advertise this school, and it flourished. It was located on the third floor in
a dingy old building, at an out-of-the-way place; but the room was large, and
afforded an excellent place to learn in. Here it was that Jo Pennell
familiarized himself with the vehicle which he has since so ably illustrated.
Here Mr Willwyn Wistar, former treasurer of the L.A.W., mastered the bicycle,
and Mr. Henry Bently conquered its difficulties.

Soon the
business outgrew the place, and there was a general desire for more suitable
quarters. These were found in the Horticultural Hall building on Broad Street,
and in November I opened there "The Columbia Bicycle Riding School."
I extended my advertising, and the new school was well patronized. …

The defense
was, that the bicyclers were using a public highway, and were not amenable to
park regulations, and that even if the park authorities had jurisdiction over
the drive in question there was no law excluding the bicycle, which was a
carriage, it having been decided to be such by English courts, and by our
government at Washington in fixing the duties on imported bicycles; that his
clients were exercising their just rights, and could not therefore be fined. In
closing his argument the counsel stated that he had travelled some two thousand
miles on his bicycle.

"Don't
care how far you've traveled on it, nor what other people think of 'em,"said
the Judge, "it's a velocipede, and nothing else, and these gentlemen are
fined five dollars each and cost." With this decision the court adjourned.

While the
second petition to the commissioners was pending, an appeal was taken from
Magistrate Clark's decision, but withdrawn, as it was thought that the park
commissioners would not consider any petition favorably as long as there was a
suit pending against them. And it was not deemed wise to antagonize them.

The second
petition was granted shortly after the withdrawal of the suit. This gave to the
bicycle-riders great pleasure, and the portions of the park allotted to them
were much used. Great care was taken to avoid frightening horses, and the
results were satisfactory to all concerned. …

Thus began
the sort of bicycle agitation which has continued to the present time. The
Sunday Dispatch of August 19, 1879. commenting on the bicycle case, said : —

“A bicycle
is an exaggerated velocipede. That is a position which we are ready to maintain
against the president of the Germantown Bicycle Club, who declared the other
day, in an argument before Magistrate Clark, that the bicycle is not a
velocipede, but a carriage. It is certainly a velocipede, no matter what other
name may be given it.”

Referring to
bicycle riders the same article said: —

“It is not a
necessity that they should mount themselves on two high wheels and rush wildly
through the streets, merely to gratify their own thirst for excitement.”

That this
article, which throughout was adverse to bicyclers, was written in ignorance,
is shown by the reference to Mr. Longstreth as president of the Germantown
Bicycle Club, and to the bicycle as having two high wheels.

It is
interesting to quote from the same paper when it had become more enlightened.
June 5, 1881, it said : —

“Either the
bicycles should be excluded from the park altogether, or they should be
admitted at all times…”